You have DACA. You may also have a path to a green card.
Marriage to a U.S. citizen does not automatically fix your papers. But for many DACA recipients, the path exists. The question is which path is legally safe for your facts.
The Law Office of Gilda McDowell reviews your entry history, family relationships, DACA status, prior filings, arrests, advance parole options, waiver issues, and humanitarian protections before anything gets filed.
The legal question is not just “Are you married?” It is “How did you enter, and what is in your file?”
Many Dreamers are told that marriage to a U.S. citizen is enough. That advice is incomplete. Marriage may make you eligible for a family petition, but adjustment of status inside the United States usually depends on whether you were inspected, admitted, or paroled into the country.
If you entered without inspection as a child, you may need a lawful entry through advance parole, or you may need an I-601A provisional waiver and consular processing. If you have prior filings, an old removal order, a DACA lapse, or a criminal record, the sequence matters even more.
Entry history, DACA dates, family petition options, FOIA needs, arrest history, advance parole eligibility, waiver risk, and humanitarian protections.
The discovery call tells you whether a paid legal strategy consultation makes sense. The consultation gives you the legal path, sequence, estimated timeline, and next step.
The firm does not sell hope for the sake of a fee. The goal is a real legal plan, not paperwork that creates more risk.
Six possible paths we review for DACA recipients.
Not every person has every option. The purpose of the review is to identify what is legally available now, what may become available after a specific step, and what should not be filed.
Marriage to a U.S. citizen
We review whether marriage-based adjustment is available inside the U.S. or whether advance parole or a waiver is required first.
U.S. citizen parent
A citizen parent may be able to petition. Timing matters, especially when the parent is older or has health concerns.
Adult U.S. citizen child
If your U.S. citizen son or daughter is 21 or older, they may be able to file a family petition for you.
Advance parole strategy
For some DACA recipients, AP can create a lawful entry record that unlocks adjustment of status. It requires careful legal screening.
I-601A waiver
If you face the 3 or 10 year unlawful presence bar, a provisional waiver may be part of a consular processing strategy.
Humanitarian relief
VAWA, U Visa, T Visa, or other protections may apply when abuse, crime victimization, or trafficking is part of the history.
Google can bring you here. Only a legal review can tell you what is safe to file.
Do not file based on what worked for a cousin, what someone said in 2019, or what a notario promised. DACA cases are sequence-sensitive. A wrong filing can create a denial, expose an old issue, or close a cleaner path.
A calm, structured process before any immigration filing.
The next step is simple: request the discovery call. If your situation appears to fit the firm’s work, the team schedules the attorney strategy consultation.
Discovery call
15 minutes with bilingual intake. We confirm the basic facts and whether a paid legal strategy consultation makes sense.
Attorney consultation
Gilda reviews your immigration history, entry record, family options, risks, and legal sequence.
Records review
When needed, the firm pulls immigration records, prior filings, and court records before filing anything new.
Written strategy
You receive a clear path, realistic timeline, estimated costs, and the next legal step if the case is accepted.
You deserve an attorney who starts with the truth.
Gilda McDowell is a bilingual immigration attorney in Lubbock, Texas. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law and has been an AILA member since 2009. The firm is immigrant-led, structured, selective, and built for families who want honest legal direction instead of false promises.
“A green card review is not paperwork. It is a decision about your family’s future. We start with the truth, because a strategy built on the wrong premise can cost years.”
The firm handles DACA renewals, DACA-to-green-card strategy, family-based petitions, adjustment of status, advance parole, I-601A waivers, and humanitarian immigration cases.
Real clients. Real immigration journeys.
These reviews support the same promise behind this page: honest guidance, professional case handling, DACA-to-citizenship support, residency help, and green card outcomes.
“I went to Gilda for my Daca, residence green card, and now to become a citizen. Everything always went smoothly and fast. I am really happy to now be a US citizen and I would recommend her to everyone. They call you back right away and always keep you updated.”
Perla Torres · Google Review View review →“I will forever be grateful for you all! You and your team helped me from the very beginning. From Daca to Citizenship! You all made this whole process through all these years a breeze and stress free, even after I moved to Colorado. I appreciate you all and couldn’t recommend a better attorney and team!”
Zaira Biorato · Google Review View review →“Attorney Gilda is an honest person and has a professional team who knows what they're doing. I'm very grateful for the services they've provided me. They helped me with my residency and now with my citizenship... I highly recommend Attorney Gilda.”
Guillermo Mendez · Google Review View review →“Gilda McDowell and all her employees were wonderful and made the whole stressful process incredibly simple for us! They were very patient with us whenever we inundated them with questions and we're really helpful. As for the results, those speak for themselves! I've got my green card because of them and I couldn't be more grateful.”
David Castillo · Google Review View review →Before you request the call, know what this page is — and what it is not.
Does DACA itself lead to a green card?
No. DACA alone is not a green card path. But many DACA recipients may have a separate path through marriage, a U.S. citizen parent, an adult U.S. citizen child, advance parole, a waiver, or humanitarian relief.
If I am married to a U.S. citizen, can I just file adjustment of status?
Not always. Marriage may allow your spouse to petition you, but whether you can adjust status inside the United States depends heavily on how you entered the country and whether you were inspected, admitted, or paroled.
Is advance parole still being used for DACA recipients?
Advance parole may still be available for DACA recipients with qualifying humanitarian, educational, or employment reasons. The firm does not recommend AP without a current legal review of your full record.
What happens after I submit the form?
The intake team contacts you to schedule a discovery call. The purpose is to understand the basic facts and decide whether a paid strategy consultation with the attorney is the right next step.
Is this confidential?
Your inquiry is handled privately by the firm’s intake team. Share the basic facts needed to help the team understand your situation and contact you about the next step.
You do not have to know which path is yours before you call.
That is what the review is for. Start with a 15-minute discovery call. If your case fits the firm’s work, the team will schedule the paid strategy consultation with attorney Gilda McDowell.